Arielle Immortal Seduction (16 page)

It was noon when they entered the lobby, eager to get ready for the party. The lobby was full of happy people making plans for Christmas Eve. But as they approached the gigantic Christmas tree that was taking up a huge part of the center floor, they stopped in their tracks. Arielle looked up at Sebastian’s face and she could see rage instantly erasing the serene look he had worn all morning. His lips were pulled back in fury, and instantaneously his arm pulled her closer and he used his body to shield her. Fear seized her as she looked in horror at the three women standing in the middle of the lobby. A cold chill ran down her spine and she shivered as she felt her legs go limp. This was becoming a continuous nightmare. How many times would she have to deal with these women?

Annabel, Julia, and Paola were standing there like three gorgeous goddesses, smiling coldly, their eyes set on her. Julia spoke out first, with a sickening smile on her face.

“Sebastian, my love, I’ve finally found you, and look who I’ve brought with me,” she said, pointing at Annabel. The coldness and disdain in her voice was nauseating.

“What do you want, Annabel?” Sebastian said in a cold, hard voice. He ignored Julia completely.

“Oh, you know me. I’ve heard so much about your new love. I had to come and see the miserable, breakable human being for myself. I see now that she’s the same girl that came to the house looking for you. What a little liar you are, telling me you were just a friend,” she said, turning her eyes toward Arielle with a look of disgust. “I know about the ring you’re wearing too. And you should know that what you dream of will never happen, not as long as I’m around.”

People around them began to slow down as they passed through the lobby, wanting to witness the outcome of the standoff while trying to be inconspicuous about being intently interested in what was going on. Arielle felt anxious, she knew this encounter was not going well at all.

“Annabel, this is not going to end well for you. Don’t push me in front of all these people. I need you to leave right now and take these two horrible creatures with you.”

Julia’s face turned hard at these words and her eyes were full of revulsion.

“Don’t you speak about me in the third person, Sebastian. I am right here. If there is something you want to say, say it to me.”

“You miserable, distasteful creature,” he said, spitting out the words in disgust. “Get out of my sight before you wish you had never met me.”

Julia seemed to ignore his remark as she turned toward Arielle.

“How is your head, breakable human? I should have done a better job with you last time,” she said, glaring at Arielle.

Suddenly, Arielle heard a loud growl as Sebastian let go of her, grabbed Julia by the throat, and squeezed her so tight that she was sure she had stopped breathing. Nobody in the lobby, including Arielle, was able to follow much of the activity that followed. It all happened so fast, almost like a movie in fast forward. Julia tried desperately to get herself loose but to no avail. Paola jumped in to help her, but she found herself flying across the lobby as Sebastian shoved her hard. She hit the far wall with so much force that Arielle heard a horrible sound and was sure that several of her bones had shattered. Annabel used this moment of confusion to her advantage to move toward Arielle, whose mind went completely blank as a cold chill took over her body. She was terrified, and she seemed to be frozen in place. She took a step back just as Annabel’s hand was reaching out toward her.

“There’s no way that you’ll ever have him. I’ll destroy you,” Annabel hissed, in a low voice, her eyes dripping poison, oblivious to everyone but Sebastian and Arielle.

What happened next shocked Arielle to her very core. As Annabel’s arm brushed Arielle’s body, Arielle saw her go flying across the room and land on her back against the far wall of the lobby, right next to Paola. She was holding onto her arm, which was literally on fire, and screaming with pain, her face was distorted with anguish and shock.

Arielle knew what had happened. It was a repeat of what had happened at the pub. She saw Sebastian turning as he dropped Julia, who was unconscious on the floor. Arielle looked around. There was not a single soul in the room who wasn’t standing in shock. They may not have been able to follow all that had taken place, but they could certainly see the aftermath.

Sebastian and Arielle watched as Annabel and Paola tried unsuccessfully to stand up. Julia was holding her throat, trying to breathe. Sebastian moved close to Arielle and put his arm around her, holding her steady against him as she shook uncontrollably.

By now Julia was standing up, her eyes were full of loathing, and she made sure Arielle could feel it. She walked away from them, toward Annabel and Paola, who were helping each other stand up. Annabel was still growling with pain, holding her arm and shaking her head. She gave Arielle a look full of venom and walked towards the exit, Julia and Paola at her heels. Just before they went through the door she stopped, and completely ignoring every living soul in the lobby, looked hard at Sebastian and then at Arielle.

“Look out, you miserable human. I’ll find you alone and I will destroy you. You’ll never have him!” she shrieked.

“Annabel, I’m warning you,” Sebastian said, his voice full of disgust and abhorrence that actually drove a chill down Arielle’s spine. “Stay away from us, as far away as you possibly can. Next time it will end up bad for you.”

Without a word, Annabel turned and swept out of the room, never looking back.

The manager came over, wanting to know if Sebastian and Arielle were all right. People started to move around again, wondering what in the world all that had been about. Sebastian assured everyone that they were just fine and pulled Arielle towards the elevator.

Annabel and her friends were gone, for now, but Arielle knew that her life was moving into an unknown chapter. She felt terribly afraid.

Once in the room, Arielle fell apart. When the door closed, she started to cry. Her body was shaking, tears ran down her face. All she could see was Annabel’s eyes, full of fire and revulsion for her. She sat on the bed sobbing, unable to shake the fear out of her bones. Sebastian held her close without saying a word as she buried her face in his chest. “How am I going to deal with someone like her in my life?” she sobbed, while he just held her close.

“Please, Arielle, you don’t need to be afraid of her. You have the necklace and it will keep you safe. You saw what happened down there. I didn’t even touch her, and you certainly didn’t pull off a throw like that.” He smiled gently, watching for her reaction.

Arielle looked at him through her tears and nodded. “I know you’re right.” But she also knew that Annabel would be coming back, and it terrified her.

Arielle didn’t fully understand the powers of immortals, and the unknown was terrifying to her. Seeing the intense hatred in Annabel’s eyes and her determination to keep Sebastian to herself had frightened her. The depth of that passion she did understand.

“Do you love me?” she heard him asking in a low voice.

His question startled her and she stared into his eyes.

“What do you think?” Her voice was strong and steady.

“I want to believe that you will be strong and will not fall apart every time you cross paths with Annabel. It may happen more often than you want it to.” He pulled her against his body and held her tighter. “Please, Arielle, I don’t want you to worry. You saw what happened when she tried to touch you. All I want you to do is make sure that you never take that necklace off.”

Arielle put her arms around his neck and pulled herself even closer, wanting to feel the warmth and security of his body. She had never thought it would be possible to love someone without limitations. But even in the wake of the ugly incident they had just lived through, now that she was in his arms again, she felt a sense of deep contentment.

They didn’t need to get ready for the party for a couple of hours still, so Arielle drifted off to sleep, in complete tranquility. Sebastian held her close, happy that the danger had passed. He smiled as he listened to her breathing softly, warmth and harmony surrounding him.

She was just on the cusp of sleep when she felt his lips pressing on hers. She opened her eyes to see his face only inches away, with his lips slightly open and inviting. She parted her lips and welcomed him in, pleased when his tongue stroked hers gently. His incredible scent filled her with unmanageable desire, and he was happy to accommodate her, even as he whispered that it was getting late and she still needed to go to the flat to get her dress for the party. His kiss deepened, making her moan. She didn’t want to move away from his trembling body that could make her senses soar to such amazing heights. She gasped with excitement and sighed. She knew he was right.

“This will be my first real Christmas party,” he said with anticipation in his voice.

“That can’t be true. You must have been at many Christmas parties through the centuries,” she said, trying to shake off the passionate desire she felt.

“Well, I have never enjoyed the holidays with my wife to be,” he said. “I want to share everything with you, Arielle. This will be the very first Christmas for us, and I intend to take it all in and make it wonderful for both of us.”

“What time is it?”

“Four thirty,” he whispered. She knew it was time for her to get up, but she couldn’t move, not yet. She was elated and so comfortable, and she didn’t want to move away from him, not for a second. And he seemed content just to hold her against him.

Eventually, they got up and drove to the flat. The music was blasting and all Arielle’s friends were there, playing cards and drinking. As they walked into the flat door, she could hear the Eagles’ “Long Road out of Eden” playing, and it made her happy. Sebastian was singing along softly.

“I didn’t know that you like the Eagles,” she said, surprised.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” He grinned.

They stayed for a while, happy to be together. Eva looked beautiful and so happy in Ian’s arms. Gabrielle was busy beating all of them at cards. She was jubilant, laughing out loud, making fun of the guys. Her outbursts made Sebastian laugh too, and it made Arielle so happy to see him carefree. He surprised her again by drinking a couple of beers, but she didn’t say anything about it.

Finally, Arielle gathered her things and they left. They all agreed to meet at the party around nine. On the way back to the hotel, Sebastian’s phone rang. It was Loren. “Hold on for a minute, love,” he said, and turned to Arielle. “Can Loren bring another couple with her?” he asked.

“Yes, of course, she can bring anyone she wants.”

“Thank you, Arielle!” Loren yelled into the phone.

“I can’t wait to see you again,” Arielle said.

“Her date is Daniel Boellere, and they’re bringing Daniel’s brother Marcus and his girlfriend Jeannette Grullon as well,” Sebastian explained after he had hung up. “Marcus and Jeannette will pick up Loren and Daniel. They’ll arrive a little after nine.”

“That’ll be fine,” Arielle said, smiling softly. She was wondering what Sebastian was going to wear to the party, but whatever it was, she was sure he would look better than anyone else there. She smiled to herself and giggled softly.

“I don’t like not knowing what you are thinking,” he frowned, though she could tell he wasn’t really angry.

“Some of my thoughts are only for me,” she said, and smiled happily.

“Don’t make me take that necklace off,” he replied teasingly.

Back at the hotel they jumped into the shower together, and enjoyed the warm water running over them. Sebastian seemed to enjoy watching Arielle closely as she prepared for the party. When she finally slipped into her beautiful dress and high heels, he pulled back and whistled with delight.

“You. Are. Stunning,” he said, and Arielle smiled, pleased with his reaction.

“Sebastian, go get dressed or you’ll make us late,” she urged.

He walked into the bathroom and she could hear him whistling some old song as he was shaving. Once again, she was amazed at how much she really didn’t know about him. She walked out of the bedroom into the sitting area, and poured a glass of wine for herself and sat down, turning on the telly.

It was 7:30; they had ample time to get there. Arielle pulled her little mirror out of her purse and applied some lipstick. She thought about how plain she looked in comparison to the extraordinarily beautiful girls in Sebastian’s world.

“What’s so special about me that he should love me?” she asked herself for the hundredth time. He was so amazingly good looking, even when he was asleep. He could have any woman on this planet that he wanted, but he had chosen her. How strange.

She sipped her wine, slowly, and couldn’t help thinking again of how lucky she was. She was ready to take another sip when he walked into the room. Instantly, she forgot what she was going to do and just stared at him. He was quite simply the most exquisite sight she had ever laid eyes on. He was wearing a beautiful black designer suit, with a silver shirt and a black tie. He was magnificent. Arielle just stood there staring at him, unable to utter a word.

“Do I look good enough?” he asked. She approached him and reached out to touch him.

“I just want to make sure you are real,” she said, voice trembling. He laughed, pulled her close, and pressed his lips on hers.